My Updated Shelfie

Folks, this is what my personal library consists of these days. Striving for a minimalist lifestyle, the only books that I keep and own are the ones that I have the most passion for. The ones that I would rate five stars. The ones that I would happily read and re-read over and over again. I'm a book lover. I love books, and I love to read. But that doesn't mean that I have to hoard books. I will just be making more use of my local library.

Shelfie | January 2016

As promised, here is a updated shelfie picture of my library. I did a major unhauling of books back in December and my shelves are now looking rather depleted as a result. However, that does not upset me in the least as all of the books on my shelves are now books that I have already read and now cherish as personal favorites, or they are books that I have not yet read but find myself incredibly excited to read and explore. My library is smaller now, but it is more personal as a result.

And guys, a lot of these fantasy series that I will be reading this year are trilogies and series ... so if I enjoy them enough that I would like to own them, then my bookshelves will begin to fill up once more. I'm just going to be very selective about the books that I purchase.

January TBR | 2016

It felt very odd to put that 2016 up there in the post header.

Okay guys, I'm keeping it a little more realistic this month. My goal for the month is four books. Yes, just four books. 2016 is going to be a different year of reading, which I will be discussing shortly in a different blog post. So my first book is "Golden Son" by Pierce Brown, which I am actually currently reading. This is the second book in the Red Rising trilogy, and the third and final book in this trilogy will be published in February. Next I have "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor, first book in a trilogy. I am unsure what my thoughts will be concerning this particular one since it is a young adult book, and I am trying to steer clear of young adult here in the new year. Next are two very well known books from the adult fantasy genre that I have just been dying to read. "The Final Empire" by Brandon Sanderson, book one in the Mistborn trilogy. And "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin, first book in the Song of Fire and Ice series.

December Wrap Up | 2015

December was not a great reading month, having only read two books. December was a busy month filled with Christmas preparations, baking, and spending time with family. Honestly two books was a decent amount of reading, all things considering. I have actually unhauled a book or two that I had featured in my December TBR, and some of them will also be carried over into January.

Massive Book Unhaul | December 2015 ~ 89 Books

I had become unhappy with my library. Unhappy in the sense that I had a lot of books on my shelves that I no longer had the interest in reading, no longer felt that I would ever re-read many of ones that I had read, and as my taste in books has shifted drastically over this past year, I also had a lot of books that I felt lacked the maturity level that I now desired. About two weeks ago I begun to go through my bookshelves, book by book. I took each one off of the shelf, flipped through them, and made the ultimate decision of whether or not I wanted to keep it. It took me nearly two weeks to complete this project. The end result? I had unhauled 89 books total. My bookshelves are cleaner, more organized, and they now contain only those books of which I dearly love, and books that I am excited about reading. I have never really been one to want to own massive amounts of books purely for the sake of owning massive amounts of books. If I don't love a book, I don't want to own it. If I am not excited about reading a unread book, I don't want to own it. With that mindset I eliminated the following books from my library. Some of them are too childish for my tastes, some of them I actually owned multiple copies of, Some of them I enjoyed but didn't love, some of them I can't foresee myself ever reading again, and some of them I just simply lost all interest in reading.

I will shortly be featuring a updated shelfie of my bookshelves, which are looking a little bare at the moment but which are more suited to my tastes. Sadly there are too many books in this certain unhaul to name them all and give my reasons as to why I am unhauling it.

2016 is going to be a good reading year! I am eager to read all of the unread books on my shelves.

Half Price Books Book Haul | December 2015

In celebration of my birthday last week my mom and I made a day of it, which of course included some book shopping at Half Price Books. I hauled six books. This first one is one that I actually already own, but my edition was a mass market paperback and this edition is a much nicer soft cover. And that is "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. Then I got "Storm Front" by Jim Butcher, soft cover edition, book one in "The Dresden Files". I hear a lot about this series and so I desired to try at least the first book. I also got "Shadow's Edge" and "Beyond the Shadows" by Brent Weeks, paperback editions, book two and three in the "Night Angel" trilogy. I just recently hauled the first book. Then "The Innocent Mage" by Karen Miller, paperback edition, book one in the "Kingmaker, Kingbreaker". Lastly I got "The Sword of Shannara" by Terry Brooks. I don't expect much from this book, but since it is being made into a television series it has caught my interest.

I probably won't be purchasing anymore books during the month of December, and quite possibly not until February when there are several anticipated book releases that I am eagerly awaiting. I want to take on some of these fantasy series that I have been purchasing, plus, I did something really scary over the past week ... I purged my library. Stay tuned for a massive book un-haul feature. This is the most books that I have ever un-hauled at any given time.

Book Depository and Book Outlet Book Haul/Unboxing | December 2015

I have a small book haul from both Book Depository, and Book Outlet, to feature today. Book Outlet was a two book purchase. First up is "Tower Lord" by Anthony Ryan, hardcover edition, book two in the "Raven's Shadow" series. I am unsure why I bought this considering that the first book in the series that I own is a paperback edition. Then "Prince of Fools" by Mark Lawrence, hardcover edition, book one in "The Red Queen's War". Then I bought "The Red Knight" by Miles Cameron from Book Depository, soft cover edition, book one in "The Traitor Son Cycle".

Much as I like Book Outlet I probably won't be purchasing books from them any longer. They have great prices, the shipping process is quick, and my books have always arrived in good condition. The problem being that I usually end up purchasing impulse buys, and impulse buys are something that I no longer desire to have in my library.

Barnes and Noble Book Haul/Unboxing | December 2015

This package from Barnes and Noble actually arrived several days ago but I waited to do a book haul feature in order to have some better lighting. It is dark outside by the time that I get home from work every night. This haul is from a bunch of well known fantasy authors that I want to read in the year 2016. I have never read any books by any of these authors previously, but I have heard a lot about them and so I desire to give them all a try.

We have "Blood Song" by Anthony Ryan, paperback edition, book one in the "Raven's Shadow" series. "The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch, paperback edition, book one in the "Gentlemen Bastard" series. "Prince of Thorns" by Mark Lawrence, paperback edition, book one in "The Broken Empire" trilogy.

And then we have "Malice" by John Gwynne, soft cover edition, book one in "The Faithful and the Fallen" series. "The Way of Shadows" by Brent Weeks, paperback edition, book one in the "Night Angel" trilogy.

Winter time feels like the perfect time to undertake a lot of these larger fantasy books, and that is just what I plan to do.

Brick Books

I saw this art project on Pinterest last year and spent several months leading up to Christmas making many of these to give away as gifts to family members. I got some odd looks when I told co-workers that I was making brick books as Christmas gifts and had to explain several times what exactly a brick book was. A brick painted to resemble a book. Well, what does one do with a brick book? You can arrange them on a porch or deck, you can place them in a garden or flower bed, you can line your walkway with a outdoor library. Brick books are awesome. Now the ones that I saw were a little less detailed then the ones that I ended up painting, mine were designated to be presents so a little more time went into the detailing. These two featured in the pictures are the two that I recently made my mom for her birthday. My mom is a author and these are actual titles from her own published books. How many people own brick book versions of their books?!

I used to sell these painted brick books through a local greenhouse but the profits weren't justifying the time that I was putting into them.

November TBR | 2015 - Conquer That Series Edition

For the month of November my reading plans involve conquering some book series that I have started over the course of the year. First I plan on reading the final two books in "The Monstrumologist" series by Rick Yancey, "The Isle of Blood", and "The Final Descent". This will complete the series for me. Then I plan on catching up on the "Throne of Glass" series by Sarah J. Maas. "Crown of Midnight", "Heir of Fire", "The Assassin's Blade" novella, and "Queen of Shadows". This is going to be a six book series, with four books and one novella currently released. I read the first book in the series earlier in the year and I really need to read the rest of them. Then I plan on reading "Golden Son" by Pierce Brown, second book in the "Red Rising" trilogy. The Third book is due to be released in February. I will also probably try to fit "Winter" by Marissa Meyer in there somewhere. It is being released on November 10th and is the final book in "The Lunar Chronicles".

October Wrap Up | 2015

I didn't really exceed my quota this month, and I didn't really bypass my reading of last month either, which, to be truthful, was a disappointing month of reading. I had roughly thirteen books on my TBR for this month and I read seven of them (minus the one that I did not finish). I will be carrying two of those books over to November but I already have November's TBR all planned out so the rest of them will be put on the sidelines for now.

Most of the books that I did read during this month were four to five star books, but there were one or two disappointments within this small stack.

5 Star rated books - Favorite books read in October 
"The Curse of the Wendigo" by Rick Yancey - The Curse of the Wendigo
"Vicious" by V.E. Schwab - Vicious

4 to 5 star rated books - 
"Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere
"Ink and Bone" by Rachel Caine - Ink and Bone
"The Archived" by Victoria Schwab - The Archived

Disappointments 
"The Unbound" by Victoria Schwab - The Unbound
"Armada" by Ernest Cline - Armada - Did not finish

Book Unhaul | October 2015 ~ 7 Books

After my last book haul I cleaned up my bookshelves and did some purging. Some of these books have been read and I decided that I didn't desire to own them, and some of them I did not read but I find that I no longer want to read them. Seven books total are being released back into the wild.

"Armada" by Ernest Cline.
I really enjoyed "Ready Player One", but this one really disappointed me. I actually didn't even bother to finish reading it. I will be keeping "Ready Player One" as I did really enjoy it, but I will not be reading anymore books by Ernest Cline.
"Falling Kingdoms" by Morgan Rhodes.
I wanted to like this one but I wasn't the biggest fan of the plot, the writing, or the characters. the maturity level was just not there, and I have found that I just cannot relate to a young cast of characters any longer. This one has been compared to "A Game of Thrones", and I choose to just read that series versus continuing on with this one.
"The Archived" and "The Unbound" by Victoria Schwab.
Letting go of these two hurts more then I would like it to. I adore Victoria Schwab's books, but these two young adult books just didn't do it for me. One of my biggest issues with it being the maturity level. I do not know if this is because of it being a young adult book (The other two books of hers that I have read were her adult books), or if it is because of being some of her earlier works, but whatever the issue is they left me feeling unsatisfied.
"The Young Elites" by Marie Lu.
I lost all desire to read this one. It feels directed towards a much younger audience then me, and I feel like I ultimately wouldn't enjoy it, so I don't wish to waste any of my time reading it.
"The Drowned World" by J.D. Ballard, and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" by Jack Finney.
 I looked these two books over, and ... I wasn't too impressed by the little that I did read.

Barnes and Noble Book Haul/Unboxing | October 2015

I received my Barnes and Noble book order today. I bought six books and two bookmarks. "American Gods" and "Anansi Boys" by Neil Gaiman in this gorgeous leather bound edition. "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon, soft cover edition. Originally on my list of books that I have no desire to read, but one that I now want to read. "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, soft cover edition.

"The Norse Myths" by Kevin Crossley-Holland, soft cover edition. "Theft of Swords" by Michael J. Sullivan, soft cover edition. Book one in "The Riyria Revelations" series. "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke, paperback edition. 

Book Depository Book Haul/Unboxing | October 2015

Hey guys, I have a small book haul to show you today from Book Depository. First we have "Elantris" by Brandon Sanderson, paperback edition in this beautiful watercolor edition that I have fallen in love with. "Warbreaker" by Brandon Sanderson, paperback edition. And "Assassin's Apprentice" by Robin Hobb, paperback edition. This is the first book in her "Farseer trilogy". I have never read any of Robin Hobb's books prior to this, but I have heard wonderful things about them and I am excited to dive in and give them a try. These will all make some wonderful fall/winter reading, and that is exactly what I plan on doing.

September 2015 Updated Library Tour And Shelfie

Since my last library tour and shelfie I have bought a lot of books, unhauled a lot of books, reorganized, and redesigned, so here is a updated batch of pictures for you guys! In a attempt to make my library feel more warm and inviting I placed a map of middle earth above my bookshelves as well as placed this beautiful map of middle earth tapestry on my wall. Getting my nerd on as well as bringing a nice flow to the room, its a win win. Next I would like to get a small electric potbelly stove for the room as well as possibly find a small reading chair to create a reading nook complete with a small end table and tabletop lamp. Maybe a small little fuzzy area rug. Heaven.

And here is a closeup on my shelves. Difficult to fit the entire bookcase in the shot but I wanted to get closer so you can better see the titles.

Updated book count: My last book count was 239 physical books, and 282 book titles (book titles because my Barnes and Noble editions are often multiple books in one). I now own 231 physical books and 302 titles. 

Book Depository Book Unboxing/Haul | September 2015

I was impatiently awaiting this book order from Book Depository. Because Book Depository is located in the UK books ordered through there will take much longer to arrive through the mail, but guys I highly recommend them! Their prices are about the same as our prices here is the US, they offer free world wide shipping, and it is the opportunity to obtain some of these stunning UK editions that you just can't get here. I opted to buy these UK paperback editions because our editions just aren't very pretty. This is my second book order through them and I continue to be pleased with them each time. The books arrive wrapped very carefully in bubble wrap, and I haven't had any damaged books yet. This first picture features the first two books in "The Stormlight Archive" by Brandon Sanderson. These books are massive and have been split into two parts each, hence the four books. The first book is "The Way of Kings" part one and part two, and the second book is "Words of Radiance" part one and part two. I have not yet read any Brandon Sanderson, but fantasy is probably one of my favorite book genres and all fantasy readers rave about him as a author, his books are considered some of the best out there.

These next two books are from the "Reckoners" series by Brandon Sanderson. The first book in the series being "Steelheart", and the second being "Firefight".  I did not realize that there was a size difference between the two when I purchased them ...  still amazingly beautiful but now they don't match *pout*

I adore these editions! The cover art is gorgeous and they look great on your bookshelves. I am really looking forward to delving into the world of Brandon Sanderson, I hear nothing but good when it comes to his abilities as a writer and the magical worlds that he creates.

e-bay Book Unboxing/Haul | September 2015

If you have been reading my former blog postings you may have seen this one that I wrote back in April : The One That Got Away based on this book edition that I am about to showcase. This book has been my book collectors hearts desire for several years now and when I stumbled across one on e-bay that was for a buy it now or best offer with free shipping priced far below the average listings for this book ... I couldn't resist myself. I won't disclose the official price paid because it sickens me, but I did make a offer on it and scored it for twenty dollars cheaper then the original asking price. And I did pay less then the book formerly seen at Half Price Books, and the condition of this one far exceeds that one. This is a leather bound Barnes and Noble leather bound collectors edition of "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis, containing all seven novels in the series. The cover is beautifully designed with embossing on the front cover, the spine, and the back cover. The end papers are a beautiful map of Narnia, and there are illustrations on each chapter header.

This gorgeous edition will be replacing my original seven paperback set. I may give the paperbacks to either one of my sisters or my niece.

Mini Barnes and Noble Book Unboxing/Haul | September 2015

I have a small Barnes and Noble book unboxing/haul to show you guys today. I purchased this deluxe edition of "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien. It contains all three books in the trilogy ("The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers", and "The Return of the King"), its floppy, the cover feels like suede, must I really say more! Of course this trilogy already resides in my book collection in its place of honor but it is a very large leather bound collectors edition so I wanted to get a edition that would be easier to read and that I wouldn't have to worry about the very act of touching it or breathing on it while attempting to read it. Yeah, I have issues. I also purchased this beautiful 75th anniversary hardcover edition of "The Hobbit" with original artwork by the author himself. Gorgeous. This title also already resides in my collection but as a leather bound pocket edition, I wanted to upgraded although I will probably be keeping both.

Next I purchased "The Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss, soft cover edition. This is the second book in the kingkiller chronicles. A behemoth of a book that is just shy of a thousand pages. Sadly this one arrived damaged. The back cover and some of the back pages are crinkled. I contacted Barnes and Noble about a replacement.

Stay tuned for my Book Depository book haul that I will hopefully be receiving in the next day or two!

Barnes and Noble September 2015 Book Unboxing/Haul

Technically this is a August book haul as I did place the order back towards the middle of August, but as I did not receive it until yesterday it has now become a September book haul.

Earlier in August I read "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas. I loved her talent as a writer, I loved the story, I loved the characters, and I loved the world that she developed. I later unhauled my paperback edition of Throne of Glass ... because I wanted it in hardcover! So I purchased "Throne of Glass" book one, hardcover edition, "Crown of Midnight" book two, hardcover edition, "Heir of Fire" book three, hardcover edition, "The Assassin's Blade" a novella in the series, hardcover edition, and "Queen of Shadows" book four, hardcover edition. This last one is the reason that my order was so very late. It is a newly released novel in the series, being released on September 1st. Her next "Throne of Glass" book will not be released until 2016, a release date not yet being set. The title and cover design also has not been released at the time. I am so excited to read further into this series! I hear that it only continues to get better as the series progresses. This series is classified as young adult fantasy.

I also bought "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss, soft cover edition. I find myself returning to the world of adult fantasy after continuing to be disappointed by young adult time after time. I have heard so many good things about this book. There is a second book, "The Wise Man's Fear", that I may also be purchasing here in a bit, but the third book sounds like it will not be published until 2017, at the time not having a release date, a cover design, or a title. Patrick Rothfuss is described as a master story teller but a slow writer ... ah well the best books do take a while to develop. I would rather wait for a well developed book then a rushed book. This is "The Kingkiller Chronicles" and I believe that it is a trilogy but it's not very clear on that. It is adult fantasy. So excited to read it! The second book featured here is "Falling Kingdoms" by Morgan Rhodes, hardcover edition. This series is classified as young adult fantasy. I have heard some great things about this series but it seems that there are a lot of really mixed feelings on it as well ... so I am a little scared to read it at this point and time because I hate becoming really excited about a book only to discover that I don't personally like it ... this is a six book series with four books currently released. I am going to read this first book before purchasing any of the other books. It is actually a part of my September TBR goal.

I have some serious bookshelf reorganization to undertake!

As a side-note, all of these books arrived in excellent condition which I was really pleased about.

September 2015 Book Unhaul - 5 Books

My sister in law, Lydia, and I plan on going to Half Price Books tomorrow because of the 20% off sale that is going on over the weekend. I have a large amount of books to bring in with me in order to sell, and I have added to that unhaul over this past week. First are my four paperback editions of "A Song of Fire and Ice" series by George R.R. Martin. These copies are a little beat up at this point, so I purchased a five paperback boxed set updated version that I just featured in my book haul earlier today. That's the only reason that these books are leaving my library. I fear that these probably won't fetch much however. Next is my paperback edition of "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs. I read the book earlier this week and I did not care for it. It has no place in my library.

I have a lot of books to lug around with me tomorrow ...